I’ve been sporting 2560x1440 display for the longest time when I’m docked home on my laptop. I also used a 42-inch plasma screen TV (even though I upgraded to a 4K) until it died just recently for over a decade. Both of them were excellent and there was really no reason for me to upgrade them. That’s the thing with displays…it’s not something that you would change all the time like a smartphone or even a laptop. Every display in my home has outlived my iPhones, Androids, MacBook Pros, desktops you name it. That’s why it is really important that you want to get something that’s good and lasts… “future proof” and I hate that word with a passion.

I was pretty excited that Monoprice sent me the MonoPrice 27 Inch Christal Pro 4K Monitor to test drive for about a little over a month. Right out of the box, the experience has been great. I appreciated how easy it was to put the display together and take apart with very little effort. Setting up displays is usually a no brainer. Just plug in, do some calibrations if needed and you are good to go.

I did however run into a hiccup in connecting my MacBook Pro 13 2018 with the USB-C to Display AV adaptor from Apple via HDMI where the display was at a horrible 30hz instead of the rated 60hz. Turns out that this is a NOT a problem with MonoPrice and is a known problem with Apple. You need to get a USB-C to DisplayPort adaptor and cable and the issue will be resolved. If you have an eGPU connected to the Thunderbolt 3 port, that works as well. I had no issues with an Asus gaming laptop and a home built desktop PC.

The MonoPrice display unit itself looks great. I appreciate that the bezels weren’t huge and the adjustable stand is fantastic. It swivels, rotated tilts and is height adjustable giving you a lot of viewing flexibility. The picture quality is excellent. Colors were bright, clear and sharp. Text is crisp and clear when working on Word documents and spreadsheets or even reading web content. Viewing and editing photos was a huge step up from a 2K display and working on 4K videos was equally fantastic. 4K videos on this display are gorgeous. 4K gaming (if you have a decent graphics card) is great on this as well. It’s no 144hz and it’s not meant for hardcore gaming but it does hold it’s own when it comes to picture quality.

I only have a few a gripes and this is just nitpicking. The built in speakers are weak. They sound hollow but that’s to be expected with built in speakers. Controlling the volume is a pain as you have to go through a few menu settings when it should have been physical buttons or a rocker to do this. You definitely need to use external speakers with this. The menu system is something that you need to get used to. The buttons under the display are very confusing at first and they do sort of align with the on-screen indicators on what they do when you press them…. sort of. I keep turning the screen off by accident when I want to change a setting. Again, I think this is something you’d have to get used to but this is area for improvement for the next version of this display.

Overall, the Monoprice is a great value if you are looking for a large high quality 4K display with HDR. One thing not to overlook is that it comes with a 1 Year PixelPerfect Warranty which anyone can appreciate. They will replace the screen if you see a dead pixel, no BS pixel count restrictions.

Bright, colorful 4k screen for a very reasonable price. The picture looks really good! The screen slides up and down to accommodate your height relative to the surface you’ve put it on. My only minor complaint would be that the downward-facing input ports are too low on the back of the screen, so when it’s slid all the way down it pushes the inflexible ends of the cable into the desk surface a bit.

I bought this monitor because I was used to a retina display MacBook Pro and when I bought a Mac mini my 1080 display looked blurry to me. This 27” 4K even at 1080p looks so much better. Looks even better at the 4K resolution but everything is so small I had to back it off to a lower resolution. I also love the ability to adjust it up and down with little effort.